How Residents In Imo, Southeast Nigeria Fight Insecurity

How Residents In Imo, Southeast Nigeria Are Fighting Insecurity 

 - a solution journalism report by STANLEY AKALONU

Insecurity has been a major challenge in Nigeria and south east zone is not left out.  In Imo stae, southeast Nigeria, this has adversely affected the lives and property of the people.

It is however, not a lost cause as putting in place security measures help enhance safety, prevent escalation of incidents, protect property, and generally, contribute to the overall feeling of well-being by individuals.

 Property and assets, which. having adequate security in place helps to prvent include buildings, publich equipment, and intellectual property, amonth others. Through surveillance, access control, and alarm systems, security professionals help expose theft, vandalism, and unauthorized access. Protecting assets contributes to the overall well-being and prosperity of businesses and communities.

 Having uniformed security personnel, can put a sense of trust and confidence in individuals. Knowing that security is in place helps to bring in trust in public institutions, organizations, and venues. It creates an environment where people feel comfortable and confident in their surroundings, encouraging social interactions and community engagement.

Omalicha radio investigated a slew of security issues that has struck some communities in Imo state and how it is being tackled.

 However, these communities have found a way to deal with the security which is an after impact of the damages it has caused.

We will be focusing on the people of emeabiam community in imo state and how insecurity has affected them and the measures they have taken to fight it.

One of the young girls in the community narrated how insecurity affects their movements even during the day and market women inclusive.  "security has affected the area I live and the market places around in unimmaginable ways.  Imagine the shopkeepers, because of fear, they cannot open their stores or keep their stores open till 7pm. Imagine walking on the road and it's just 8pm, but you are being harassed by cult boys, you can even be raped. You could be raped, especially for young women like me.,,"

Speaking to Mr. Charles Ndukwe one of the leaders of Emeabiam community of imo state who were invaded by people suspected to be armed herdsmen said they had tried to seek help from both the security agencies and their neighboring community but none came...

They further appealled to the state government to help them because according to them, they only see those in government people during elections and after the election, you won’t see them again which is making them suffer when it comes to security issues.

However, these communities have found a way to deal with this security which is an after impact of the crisis.

 Our findings show that one of the neighboring communities by name Nekede had similar security issues over the years but they were able to come together to help tackle the issues in unity including the cost implication. They are still benefiting from that cooperation it and living in peace. The youth leader Mr Festus had this to say, "the issue of security in our place was worrisome before now. But we now looked inward...people living abroad helped us, we registered our security outfit... to secure our community, mobilised them with matchets and guns which we registered with the community....Also, we have people living with us who are not from our community. We take their data to know, and monitor those coming in during the night..."

However, the people of Emeabiam seeing what their neighboring village did, have decided to adopt similar step, as their youth leader told us how he is trying to partner with the local vigilante from other communities and their people outside the country to also support them financially to solve the security issues affecting them while waiting for the government to help them.

Also speaking to us, they said they have taken it to heart to listen to security agencies and personnel’s as It’s important they monitor their environments closely.

They said they have learnt that not observing security rules can lead to more harmful incidence to both young and old in the community.

There have been several approach by security agencies in the state to fight insecurity in the local communities which includes sensitization of the people in crime related areas.

The PPRO of Imo state command ASP Henry Okoye gave us an insight on the strategies and approach the force is using to tackle insecurity in the state and the roles of the people, which include sharing information (voice) 

Enhanced collaboration with neighboring communities and partner with them dismantle criminal networks involved in kidnapping and other illicit activities. adequate training and equipping of security operatives, is important for enhancing operational effectiveness and responsiveness of security around us.

As individuals we should be watchful and observe our environment during the day and at night. Listen to news on radio, tv or known social media platforms to get information on security tips. Don’t keep late nights, come back home early and if you are to return home late, make sure you place an emergency call ahead for your safety. We should be careful of the kind of friends we keep and bring into our communities and envionment. With all of these measures put into place, we are making our environment a better and safer place to stay and live in.

 This report is brought to you by Omalicha 91.1FM with support from Nigeria Health Watch